Relay.



A. S. CUBITT.

RELAY.

nPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 2 4, 1908.

Patented May `l1'?, 1910.

R U T N ...L V N Tofallwwmvit concern.'

`UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE."

ARCHIBALD s. CUEITT, OE sCHENEcTApY, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR, TO'GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

RELAY.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Applicationlled June 24, 1908. Serial No. 440,081.

1 Bei known that I, ARCHIBALD S. CBITr,

a subject of the lKin of Great Britain, re-

*sidingat Schenecta y, in `the Icounty of Schenectady,

and useful Improveof which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electro-magnetically operated switches, and particularly to the class of switches known as relays and usedfi'ri the control of dynamo-electric machinery.

The well-known form of relay comprises an actuatin coil, a core of magnetic material moya le in the field thereof, oneor a plurality of contact disks carried by said -core and arranged to coperate with fixed contacts locate above or below, or both above and below, said disks', spring connections being Often employed between these disks' and the movable core. Where relays of this form are subjectedjo considerable jarring, as, for example, in railway work, it has 1 been found thatl the contacts' controlled by them are not heldfirmly closed' but arevliable to open slightly, thereby interruptin the circuit or circuits controlled 'by there ay. It has lbeen found` also, that with relays providedL with contact disks considerable care is necessary in their construction and assembling to insure the'disks making good electrical connection with the fixed contacts.

It is anobject of my invention to provide. a simple, inexpensive and improved Aform of relay in which the contacts are efv fectively held in close engagement with one another in spite of any jarring to which vthe relay may be subjected.

` Other objects of my invention will appear from the following description of one embodiment thereof and from the appended claims. i

For purposes of illustration I have shown my invention as applied to aso-called overload relay intended for use in connection with systems of motor control of the sepa.

Y' rately-actuated contact type. It is obvious,

lfhowever, that the invention is in no way vlimited to relays used for th1s purpose. It `may be applied e ually well to relays hav-l ing any number o actuating and maintain- State of NewA York, have in-v "ventedpcertagin new- 'ments in Relays,

ing coils and to relays which make and break any number of circuits as will be at o'nce obvious to those skilled in this art.

Referring to thevdrawing, Figure 1 is a front eleva-tion of a relay having my invention embodied therein; Fig. 2 .is a side elevation, partly in section, of the relay shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the lower part of thevrelay shown in F ig. 1, the movable contact members being in the position to which theyare moved by the lifting of the movable core.

Like parts are referred to throughout the several views by the same reference charn acters.

The various parts of the relay are mountedupon a baseboard 5 made preferably of some insulating material.v The iron field frame of therelay is shown at 6, of any suitable and well-known form, being secured to the base 5, in any suitable manner, as by the screws or bolts 7. The particular form of relay shown is provided with an actuating coil 9 composed of a few turns of heavy conductor, the ends of which are seg cured to terminals `10 and 11 mounted upon the base 5, and a holding coil 12 of finer conductor. 'Ihe coils 9 and 12 are wound in a well known' manner upon spools from which they are insulated. A fixed core 14, having secured thereon a brass sleeve 15, is secured in the top of the frame 6 in any suitable manner, as by a set screw 16, and projects downwardly through the coil 12 and into the coil 9, as best shown in Fi 2. The movable core of magnetic material is indicated at 18 and in the present construction is provided at its upper end with a rod 19 of non-magnetic material which projects into a hole in the bottom of the fixed core 14 and serves as a guide for the movable core. Embedded and secured in the movable core is a cylindrical piece of insulating material 20, from the bottom of which pro jects a. rod 21, the lower end of which projects through a holein the guiding bracket 22 secured to the baseboard 5, as clearly shown in the drawings. The movable contact members 24 and 25, which may be of any suitable form, are pivoted at 26 and 27 upon pins which may conveniently be mounted in the bracket 22, as clearly. shown in the drawings. The Contact members 24C and 25 cooperate with fixed contacts 28 and 29, 30 and 31, and when in the position shown in Fig. 1 electrically connect the contacts 30 and 31, and in thepo'sition shown in Fig. 3 electrically connect the contacts 28 and 2S). The contact members 24 and 25 are provided, as shown, with pins 33 and 34 with which engage the ends of a U-shaped spring 35, through a hole near the middle of .which the rod 21 freely passes. A collar 37 secured to the rod 21 engages with the spring 35 in the upward movement of the movable core, and by lifting the spring rotates the contact members 24 and 25 on their pivots from the posit-ion shown in Fig. 1 lto that illustrated in Fig. 3. On a threaded portion of the rod 2l above the spring 35 is a nut 38 and a lock nut 39 which serve as an adustable stop on the rod to engage the spring .in the coil` 9 required to pull up the relay thereby regulated. A plate 40 may be secured to the bracket 22 behind the lower end of the rod 21 as shown, and upon it may be marked a scale indicating the different current settings of the relay. In order to somewhat relieve the spring 35 from the hammer blow exerted by the movable core in falling, a Y-shaped bracket 42 may be provided, as shown, being conveniently made integral with the bracket 22. The arms of the bracket 42, as shown, extend outwardly under the spring 35 and when the movable core is in its llower position, as shcwn in Fig. 1, the arms of the' bracket are slightly below the upper stretch of the spring 35, but when the core drops the spring 35 may yield enough to biing it into engagement with the fixed member or bracket 42 upon which the force of the hammer blow is largely expended. It is obvious, however, that under certainconditions the bracket 42 might be omitted. "With the spring 35 made in the form shown, it will be clear that the movable contact members 24 and. 25 are held in yielding engagement with either the xed contacts 30 and 31 or 28 and 29, depending whether the core of the relay is in its lower or its upper position. This spring connection, therefore, Abetween the core of the relay and-the movable contact members insures the latter being rmly held in engagementwith their cooperating xed contacts, even though the relay is subjected to considerable jarring. It' is obvious that'with this construction the movable contactinembers 24 andv 25 may be easily renewed by amavo withdrawing the pins 33 and 34, thus providing for easy replacement ofthe movable contact members when the same become worn.

1While I have shown but one form in which my invention may be embodied, I do not wish to be understood as limiting it thereto, except as called for by the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. in a. relay, an actuating coil, a core of magnetic material movable in the field thereof, pivotally supported movable contact members, stationary contacts cooperating therewith, and a U-shaped spring connection between said movable contact members and said movable core whereby the core in its movement moves said movable contactmembers into and out of engagement with the stationary contacts.

2. In a relay, an actuating coil, a core of magnetic material movable in the field thereof, pivotally supported contact members arranged on opposite sidesof said core, stationary contacts with which said contact members cooperate, and a iii-shaped spring connection between said core and said contact members whereby said core in its movement rotates said contact members into and out of engagement with said fixed contacts.

3. in a relay, a supporting back, a field frame of magnetic material secured thereto, an actuating coil. cooperating with said field frame, a core of magnetic mater'al movable in the field of said coil, inovabi-A contact members pivotaily supported on said base,

stationary contacts with which said contact members cooperate, and a U-shaped sprung; connection between. said core and said movable contact members whereby saidl core in its movement rotates said `contact'members into and out of engagement with said fixed contacts.

4. in a relay, an actuating coil, a core of magnetic material movable in the eld thereof, pivotally supported contact members arranged on opposite sides of said core, stationary coirtacts4 with which said contact members cooperate, and a U-shaped spring connected. at each end to one of said movable Contact members and at its middle to said y core whereby said core in its movement rotetes said Contact members into and out of engagement with said fixed contacts.

5. in reiay, an actuating coil, a core of ymagnetic material movable in the field thereof, pivotally supported contact members arranged on opposite sides of said core, stationary contacts with which said Contact members cooperate, and a U-shaped spring connection between said contact `members and said movable core whereby said core in its movement rotates said contact members into and out of engagement with said staliov tionary contacts and holds said Contact members in yielding engagement with said stationary contacts.

6*. -In a'.4 relay, an'aetuating coil, a core or' magnetic material movable in the field thereof, pivotally supported Contact members arranged on opposite sides of saicl core, stationary contacts with which each of said contact members cooperate in both of their eX- treme positions of movement, and a U! shaped Spring Connection between said core and said Contact members whereby said eore in its movement rotates said Contact members into engagement with one or the other of said fixed contacts and holds the former in yielding engagement with the latter.

tween said Contact members and said movablev core, and a fixed member eoperating with said spring connection and arranged to receive the impact of the core When the latter drops.

In vvitnesswhereof, I have hereunto set my hand nthis 22nd day of June, 1908.

ARCHIBALD S. CUBITT. Witnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORroRD. 

